Chapter 2

The Round

I

Word had spread fast throughout the town about the earlier arena match. People were in amazement. How could two well-crafted blades break off like that and in the middle of very heated match? Victor Robbins wasn't surprised at all by it. He smiled to himself as he listened to everyone gossiping about it. I know why. As he mumbled to himself. Yes, Mr. Robbins had known a lot about why those swords broke off like that. Right now, it was his little secret and he wasn't telling a soul. Victor would do about anything to win the jackpot. One way or another, he was going to make damn sure he does. No one was going to beat him, even if he had to cheat to make it happen. Soon he'll know who his next opponent will be. Then he'll start figuring out away to beat that opponent.

Victor was quite a tall man, thin in built, with a face that had a hardness to it. Along with the hardness it also shown greatly that he was a very angry man. After living for 800 years it had made him quite a bitter man. He needed this win not only to boost his own ego, but he needed the money to finish investing in the rest of the land he needed to ensure his future. That he could be safe and live another few centuries. He was not going to let anyone or anything stand in his way, mortal or not. If he has to start taking heads to get it he will. No one better get in my way! No body! As he continued mumbling under his breath with an evil grin on his face. All he had left was to buy the small property that Mrs. Taylor owns. Then his plan will be complete. He would be safe and would be able to live relatively comfortably. He smiled at the thought of this. If Mrs. Taylor doesn't sell, then I will have to make Rhiannon an immortal…Once that happens, she'll have to sell the homestead just to keep Mrs. Taylor safe. Then everything will be mine… the property, they're home, and her immortality. With that thought, he started to make his way toward the arena.

Meanwhile, Duncan was making his own way down to the arena. The closer he had gotten into town the more people were joining him. When he had finally reached the arena, he couldn't believe his eyes. There were many more people, with more coming every minute. Watching them stream in he couldn't quite figure out why. They all surely couldn't be for the match. He starts searching the crowds and the arena to see if there was any clue of explaining why. That is when he sees it. A rush of surprise came over him. There on the entrance way was a sign saying…

Third round is to be 200 p.m.

Fighting is:

Ross Williams

Vs

Rhiannon Cleary

The winner of this round goes onto the Second Round

For a chance to win over:

$100,000

Duncan couldn't believe his eyes. His mind was going a hundred miles an hour. She fences? No she can't fence…. could she? He just couldn't believe it. This has to be a joke. Duncan thoughts had begun to come at him at once. She couldn't know how to handle a sword…She not the type…or is she? He started picking up his pace as he tried to make his way into the entrance door. He had to see this. This girl is going to be full of surprises. He finally makes his way into the arena when he sees Mrs. Taylor, her arms in the air, waving him over to where she was. "Come on over her Mr. Macleod. There is a better view here of the arena." Yelling loudly she could be heard over the crowd. Duncan nods to her and starts up the arena stairs.

As he made his way up to where Mrs. Taylor was, Duncan started to glance around the arena. The playing field was of dirt and grass. The boundary is made up of bright yellow paint and centered in the middle in a circular shape. The judge's tables were down below them.

"Come on over here Mr. MacLeod, (patting the seat next to her) you can sit right next to me." "Please call me Duncan. (as he sits down) How are you this afternoon?" "Hot! (Fanning herself) I see you made it in time for the show." Duncan turns to her and grins. She offers him one of her fans. Of course he declines.

"So are you ready to see my Rhiannon win this round?" She asks loudly and proudly. "To be quite honest, she never told me that she would be fighting in the round." He replied with a sound of surprise in his voice. "Well aren't you in for a treat… She's is excellent in this type of fencing...It might look a little showy, but it's real all the same. (smiling from ear to ear) And I would bet my last dollar that she wins and goes to the main round." "Oh you would, would you. (as his eyes twinkle) She is that good huh?' Mrs. Taylor laughs. "Oh aren't you going to really be in for a treat!"

Mrs. Taylor was full of information about Rhiannon. All she gave willingly and freely. As Duncan listens, he finds out that she was born sometime in early September of 1971. A drifter found her on the side of the road and tried to raise her until he died of cancer. By the time she had met Rhiannon, she had been in out of foster care. That she and her husband fell absolutely in love with her and took her in about 1983. She had developed an interested in self-defense and fencing at 16. By the time she was 20 she had come close to getting married. But for some reason it didn't work out. Mrs. Taylor didn't offer explanations and Duncan didn't ask. She really had nothing but high praise for her Rhiannon. He could see that she truly cares for her as if she was her own daughter.

II

The music had begun abruptly. A quiet hush went though the crowds like a wind. The show was about to begin. Rhiannon stood at the opening of the arena. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. Well this is it time to show your stuff girl. As she sighed to herself. Ross was going to be very hard to beat. He knew all her moves and how she handled a sword as well as she knew his. This wasn't going to be an easy fight. Ross could also handle himself with a sword very well. Most of all, he fights with all his heart and soul whether it was a man or a woman. Only one thought that kept coming into her mind. She had to win. If I lose and don't win that prize money, Mama will lose her boarding home. That was something she could never go for. It was their life and she had to win no matter what.

"Ladies and Gentlemen…Welcome to the 20th annual Medieval Fair!" the announcer said. "The Third Round is going to begin shortly. Let me introduce these afternoon players." He turns toward the entrance of the tent. "Please give a warm welcome to the Ross Williams." The crowd starts cheering and clapping as Ross begins to walk out of the tent. "Next give a round of applause for the challenger, Miss Rhiannon Cleary!" Before Rhiannon even begins to walks out of the tent, the crowd starts to go wild. As everyone was cheering, yelling and clapping, Rhiannon turns to the crowd and waves. She starts to scan the crowd for Mrs. Taylor. Much to her surprise not only was she there, so was Duncan. As she heads to the center of the ring, waves to them both. "Let the games begin!" the announcer said proudly.

Ross and Rhiannon go to their mutual sides of the arena. The bell rings. Swords drawn they meet in the center. With all their might, they came at each other. Both of their swords hit with a loud clang. Rhiannon moves back as Ross moves forward with his sword. Coming down with his sword she swings around to meet it and trying to drive him backwards, with a right and then a left swing. All you can hear is the metal hitting each other as they met each other blades. Then with some great force, Ross comes down then around bringing his blade across Rhiannon's arm. The crowd gasps, as he slicing it open. Ross smiles at her. This of course pisses off Rhiannon. She brings her sword around and starts to move toward him, swinging the sword with such precision. For every strike he made, she came back with two. Then all of a sudden, Ross falls. Rhiannon knocks the sword out of his hand as he hits the ground. She climbs over top of him, with the butt of the blade to his neck. The bell rings, signaling the round was over. She reaches down and offers her hand to Ross. He smiles as he reaches to grab it. He wraps his arms around her and whispers, "The best one won Baby Girl." Kissing her on the cheek, then turns and walks away.

The bell rings. Duncan and Mrs. Taylor leap to their feet, whistling and screaming. Mrs. Taylor reaches over and gives Duncan a bear hug. Jumping up and down, "I told you she would win. I told you she would." "Yes you did!" smiling, as he catches his breath. Down on the field people were running into the arena celebrating. A number of people were going up to Rhiannon and giving her hugs and hand shakes telling her about what a good job she did. All the time, she was looking up in the stands at Mrs. Taylor and Duncan. She could see them celebrating together. Watching them jump up and down as they yelled and screamed her name. She was so happy to see how proud her mother was of her.

Not everyone in the crowd was celebrating. There was one person that was quite up set about her wining, Victor. He was hoping against hope that Rhiannon wouldn't be the one that would win. Victor was so positive Ross could beat her, hands down. She is the one person that may stop his plans in its track. Knowing if he fought her, there was a chance he could kill her. He didn't want to make her immortal in front of God and everyone. Then he couldn't go on with his plans. There has to be another way. He makes his way over to where Rhiannon was, pushing himself angrily through the crowd. When he finally reaches her, he taps her on her shoulder. The surprise on her face was worth the trouble.

"Congratulations Rhiannon." Victor says to her as he reaches out to her trying to give her a hug. She pushes him away from her and extends her hand. "Thanks Victor." Squeezing her hand hard, he pulls her close to him. Whispering in her ear, "You're not going to win Rhiannon. I am going to make sure of it." With a wink, he walks away.

Duncan and Mrs. Taylor were making their way into the arena to congratulate Rhiannon when he felt it. The buzzing in his head said that there was another immortal around, as all of his nerves were on fire. From the power of the buzz, the immortal was very close by. "Mrs. Taylor go on. I'll be there in few minutes." His face was painted with concern. "Is everything all right Duncan?" "Yeah, I think I might have seen an old friend." "Okay then I'll see you over in the tent." She turns and walks away.

Duncan began to search through the crowd for the other immortal. At first, he couldn't find him. Slowly his eyes drifted toward the arena. He could see a man walking away from the crowd. Right away Duncan knew that it was the immortal he was searching for. By the look of things, he was not too happy. The man looked up at Duncan. Their eyes met and each other, then nodded their head to the other. There was trouble written all over this man. The trouble wasn't going to with him. It lay with Rhiannon.

Victor heard the white noise. He heard it and felt it loud and clear. It had caused him to stop right in his tracks. He knew instantly that there was another immortal he was feeling. It had been a long time since he had sensation of another immortal. His senses were on fire. There was a familiar ball in the middle of his stomach he always felt when there was another around. Looking up toward the stands, he could see a tall man looking right at him. Victor stood there for a moment, watching him. He nods head at him and in return, the tall stranger nodded back. Who is he…what does he want? Before he turns to walk away Victor takes one more look at the man. Victor wasn't clear what his intentions was, he just hoped that he stayed out of his way. He had other agendas. This man wasn't one of them.

Duncan stood there for a few minutes as the man walked away, unsure what to think. He had walked away from the game for a reason and he still had no desire to have any part of it. Duncan was so tired of watching everyone he loves and cares about die because of him. At this point, he wasn't sure if he wanted to get any deeper involved with the girl. He strolled slowly through the crowds. Something kept nagging at him. What does this immortal want? What did he want with Rhiannon? Does he know that she is a preimmortal? Telling himself that he doesn't have to take part in the game to keep an eye on both of them, just in case it isn't a harmless coincident. Besides, something else was keeping him there. It wasn't because there was another immortal lurking around. It was Rhiannon. Was it the sense of responsibility he felt for her, knowing what she would be in the future? On the other hand, maybe he could be falling for her or just lonely? Duncan wasn't sure. Nevertheless, right now he was willing for the moment to take a chance and find out.

III

Mrs. Taylor had found Rhiannon at the first aid tent. The doctor was looking over her wound. "Hey Mama!" She said with a smile. Her mother reaches down and kisses her on the cheek, then turns to the doctor. "Is she going to be ok?" "Yeah it was nothing major. She doesn't even need a stitch," he said smiling. At that, the doctor finishes the bandage and walks out. Mrs. Taylor wasn't buying it. "Are you sure you're all right?" "Yeah Mama, it wasn't a deep cut. (rubbing her arm) It was a great fight, wasn't it? … I thought for a moment he had me!" "There wasn't any doubt you would win." Reaching down, she hugged her Rhiannon. She was so proud of her. "Do you know who you have to fight in the second round?" "Douglas Caine. He's good but I have beaten him before!" "Who is fighting in the next arena?" "Victor Ribbons and Art Collins." Mrs. Taylor frowns. "Hopefully Art can beat him!"

Duncan had finally made his way to the first aid tent. Right away, he notices Mrs. Taylor. She was sitting with Rhiannon on the bench, fussing with the bandage that was wrapped around her arm. Looking up, Rhiannon motions him to come over.

"Well I guess congratulations are in order." He said as he bowed down in front of her, causing Rhiannon to giggle. "Thank you my lord." "Are you all right?" "Yeah, it was just a superficial cut (looking down at her arm) Doc said it wasn't a big deal." Duncan smiled. "I really enjoyed the match…your really good," he said. "Practiced day and night…tomorrow is the real test." "Why?" Rhiannon beamed as she replied, "Because if I could win that match, I'll be going to the main round and hopefully win the prize money." Duncan winked at Mrs. Taylor, "Well from what I have seen and heard you should have no problem."

Duncan walks over to where her sword laid and reaches down and picked it up. Taking it out of its sleeve, he marveled at the craftsmanship. The sword was exquisite. The blade was made of very precious metal. It was beaten very thin, with a hard coat. The handle was made out of solid oak that was curved into the shape of a wolf.

"Like it?" Rhiannon asked. "It is very exquisite." He remarked. "My husband made it for her before he died." Mrs. Taylor said fondly. "I collect swords and this is very rare find." As Duncan gently places the sword back into its sleeve, Rhiannon comes over and takes the sword from his hand. "The sword isn't for sale Mr. MacLeod." Rhiannon snapped. "Oh no, that's not what I meant. I am sorry if that is how you took it. (with his most sincere voice) I was just admiring it." Rhiannon smiled. She could tell that he meant it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. It's just that is all I have of my father." Her voice had a sound of sorrow to it. "It's alright...Don't worry about," he said with a wink. He knew all to well how it felt to lose someone you loved.

Mrs. Taylor stood up and hugged her daughter. "Well I'm going back to the house, Rhiannon. It's just too damn hot and I need air very badly. (fanning herself madly) Now Duncan dinner is served at 6:00 promptly. No later!" She demanded. "Yes ma'am." Mrs. Taylor turns and grabs Rhiannon by the shoulders. "Are you coming to dinner?" "Depends?" "Depends on what?" "What are we having for dinner?" She replied, trying to egg her mother on. "Fried Chicken…Will that be aright with you?" Rhiannon began to laugh, "Ok, ok I'll be there!" Mrs. Taylor gives her a love tap on her butt then turns and kisses Duncan on the cheek. "Okay then, I'll see you two later." With that remark, Mrs. Taylor left the tent.

As Duncan watches, Rhiannon finishes putting her shoes on. He couldn't help but think about how pretty she was. Her face could light up the darkest of nights. "So do you fight in professional competition regularly?" Duncan asks. "No...not until this year. (Stomping her shoe) Until now, I have been doing it just for fun. Mainly in amateur fencing competitions at these kinds of fairs" She looks up at Duncan who was now standing in front of her. "But with Mama needing money, I felt I should try to go professional. See if I could really make any money at it." "If you don't mind me asking, why does she need money so badly?" He sits down next to her.

"It is a really long story, but just to keep it short and to the point to keep her home." "Why?" Duncan asks quizzically. "The bank sold the deed. The person they sold it to...now wants all the money. Knowing that there is no way we could get that kind of money." (Turning to him.) "So a lean was placed on the house and we have to the end of this month to get the money or we lose everything." Duncan nodded his head in a gesture of understanding what she was saying. "So that's why you're in this tournament," he asks. "It's the only way I know how to get up the kind of money up fast... If I win, it will pay off the debt plus give us some pocket change to pay the other outstanding bills." Rhiannon said with hope.

Rhiannon stood up and started to make her way out of the tent. Duncan followed behind her. When they had gotten outside, the hot sun hit them like a ton of bricks. It was about mid-afternoon. At this time of the day you can see the heat rising off the hot road. There wasn't a breeze in the air. It didn't stop the people however, the runway was still as full as it was this morning.

"What's going on now?" Duncan asks. "Right now it is the cook off." Duncan took a deep breath in through his nose. There was a mixture of aromas permeating the air, from sweet chocolate to barbecue ribs. A low rumble came from Duncan's stomach. It caused Rhiannon to laugh

"Are you hungry?" Duncan nods, "More so by the minute. " " Well remember supper is served promptly at six."(Rhiannon giggles as well as Duncan.) "Although, I really don't think a snack would hurt. How about some ice cream?" He stops quickly and looks at her with a look of shear delight. "As long as I can have a banana split?" Then gives her a goofy look. They both burst out laughing.

They walk over to the ice cream stand. While placing their orders, Rhiannon keeps staring at Duncan. She couldn't explain why she felt like this, not just after meeting someone. They made their way over to some shade and sat down. She continued to study his mannerisms as he talked and ate his ice cream. She was memorized by all of his charisma and charm. Carefully, she watches him speak. Rhiannon could tell he was thinking about what he is going to say before he says it. She couldn't help herself, her heart as well as her mind started to swoon. What is it about him? She thought to herself.

Then as always, the same thing that keeps grabbing her attention, it was his eyes. They were so haunting. They have seen so much pain and have been hurt so badly. So deeply hurt. Someone or something took this man's heart, his soul and stomped on it. There was something else she sees in his eyes. It was the respect and adornment he can hold with his eyes. The way his eyes grab everything and anything, then holds it tight.As if he didnt, he would lose it forever.Yeah, I think its happening. Trying not to admit to herself she was falling, falling for a stranger.

There they sat for the next two hours talking about their lives. Her finding out that he had been living in Seacover and Paris and that he was an antique dealer. Duncan of course wasn't too liberal with to much information and she knew it. But she was ok with that, Rhiannon really wasn't being forth coming about herself ether. Just the usual stuff about living in Elkmount for most of her life and that she went to Ohio State. They talked about her father and mother. Life's pitfalls. Laughing at each other's antidotes. Something they both really needed. A release. A time to forget and remember again. Neither one had laughed in a very long time. It felt good. They both craved it. Little sexiest comments and quick seductive comebacks, flirting with each other like high school kids. Until now, neither realized how lonely they truly were.

It was 6:30 when Duncan realized what time it was. They were having such a good time that they forgot about the time. They agreed that they both needed to get back. They started heading down the path to the bed and breakfast. Duncan watches her walk just a head of him. The shapes and curves of her body were so perfect. He didn't find out anything more than the impression Mrs. Taylor left on him. Just that she loved her parents very much. Soon he thought her world was going to be rocked. The more time he spends with her the more he wants to be there for her. To pick up the pieces and mentor her so that she could truly take care of herself. Most of all maybe fall in love and be happy again. Is it possible? He thought to himself. All he knew was that he was confused, Between the other immortal and this soon to be one, he wasn't quite sure what to do. He was sure however of one thing. He loved being with her. He could listen to her and look at her all day. It still wasn't enough. He craved more. This girl is definitely casting a spell on me. With that thought, he looks over at Rhiannon and smiles.